Adjustable ruling pen



Feb. 16, '1954 R. D. SHOMO ADJUSTABLE RULING PEN Filed Feb. 20, 1951INVENTOR. Rosin-r D. Sucmc Mom A'Fro QM EYS Patented Feb. 16,, 1954UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ADJUSTABLE RULING PEN Robert D.fShom0,,Detr.oit, Mich.

Applicationi-February 20, 1951,"Serial'No. 211,823

3 Claims.

This invention relates 'to' drafting implements, .and .more particularlyto. an inking pen-provided wit-h means for adjusting: the widthoff the"line which may be drawn thereby;

A main object of: the inventionis' to'provide' a inoveland improvedadjustable inkingpen which is simple in -construction,.which:1iseasy'tomanipulate, and which enables the draftsman. to accurately reproduce "aline of any desired'width.

Aiurther objectzof the: invention is toxprovide an improved: rulingepeniwhich involves inexpens'ive parts, which :is sturdy in construction,which is "easy to. (adjust, and which enables .a draftsman to select: acorrectline rwidthiby merely adjusting the pen without'requiring thelineto' be tested on an. auxiliary pieceof paper to determine whetherthe width thereof is satisfactory.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will becomeappa'rentfrom'th'e following description and claims, and from the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevationa'l view of anlimproved ruling. penconstructed in. accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken on line 2--2 of Figure1;

Figure 3 is aside elevational view similar to Figure 1-, but showing thenibs of the pen in separated relationship;

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional detail view taken on line 44 ofFigure 1;

Figure .5 is a fragmentary perspective detail view of the abutmentmember employed for separating the nibs of the pen of Figure 1 to obtaina desired line width.

Referring to the drawings, the pen is generally designated at H andcomprises a tubular shank l2 to one end of which is threadedly securedthe pen body I3. The body I3 is formed with the opposed bowed, resilientnibs I4, l5 having the tapered points l6 and I I which are biased towardeach other by the resiliency of the nibs l4 and I5. Designated at I! isan elongated shaft member which extends slidably and rotatably throughthe tubular shank 2 and has secured to its lower end, as viewed inFigure 1, the oval cam head member I8. Designated at I9 is an inwardlyextending bracket element integrally formed on the neck portion of thenib It, said bracket element being formed with a V-notch 2B whichreceives and serves as a bearing for the shaft element I1, as shown inFigure 4. Designated at 2| is a cap member which fits slidably and 1'0-tatably over the top end of the shank I2, as viewed in Figure 1, the endof the shaft member 2 I! :being rigidly secured to cap or handle 2|, asby being embedded therein in the manner shown in Figure 2.

The points of the nibs l4 and I5 may be separated as desired by movingthe cap member 2| downwardly on the shank l2, as viewed in Figure 1,whereby the headl8 exerts a spreading action on the power portions ofthe nib members 4 and I5. Alternatively, the points it and I1 may beseparated by rotating the cap member 2 on the shank [2, since the ovalshape of head |8 provides a camming action responsive to the retation ofthe shaft |1 relative-to the nibs I4 and I5. To obtain a predetermineddegree of separa tion of the points 16 and i1 responsive to rotation ofthe cap '21, the cap may be provided with an index mark 22, and theshank l2 may be inscribed with longitudinal reference lines 23registrable with the mark 22, each reference line 23 representing adifferent width of inked line to be drawn. With the head It arranged sothat the nib points I 6 and. I1 are just in contact and with said headengaging the inside surfaces of the nibs l4 and I5 at opposite-points onits minor axis, the .nib points I6 and ll may be separated to. apredetermined degree by rotating the cap 2| to bring index mark 22 intoregistry with a line23' of the desired'width. Obviously, as abovedescribed, it is also possible to adjust thewidth of the line to bedrawn by moving the cap 2| down wardly on the shank l2, as viewed inFigure 1.

In use, the handle or cap 2| will be moved downwardly on the shank l2 toa position where the cam head l8 separates the nibs I8 and IT to thedesired degree, the handle or cap may then be rotated so that a desiredwidth between the nibs may be obtained with the index mark 22registering with the reference lines 23. Since the cam head H3 isselectively adjustable along the interior surface of the respective nibsl6 and H, a different value of width between the nibs will result atdifferent predetermined positions of the cam head I8, as the handle 2|is rotated. Hence, it follows that when a line of desired width is to bedrawn, the handle will be moved to place the cam head I8 at the locationat which the nibs are separated to the required distance. This willcause the index mark 22 to register with the reference lines 23 at adefinite location to give a certain reading. Then, if the draftsmanwishes a line wider or narrower than the first or base line, he merelyrotates the handle 2! and can judge the change in the desired directionby the reading of the index mark with relation to the reference lines.To return to the base or first line, the draftsman simply again rotatesthe handle to the original index reading. It follows, then, that thelongitudinal adjustment determines the first or base width of line to bedrawn by the ruling pen and the rotational adjustment is employed tovary the width of the base line. Additionally, with the base line widthpredetermined, the handle can be rotated so that the widest possibleseparation of the nibs result (Figure 3) so that the draftsman may wipethe ink from the nibs with a cloth or rag and then return the nibs tothe original separated width by rotating the handle in the oppositedirection until the index mark is moved to the original registrationlocation with relation to the reference lines.

It will be readily apparent that while the above description has beendirected toward a ruling pen for ruling straight lines, the samestructure may be employed in an inking compass for inking circles, theabove-described structure being employed in place of the penconventionally em ployed in an inking compass.

While a specific embodiment of an improved ruling pen has been disclosedin the foregoing description, it will be understood that variousmodifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to thoseskilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations beplaced on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:

1. A ruling pen comprising a shank having an axial bore extendingtherethrough, spaced oppositely disposed outwardly bowed resilient nibscarried by and extending longitudinally from said shank, said nibsconverging as they recede from the shank, a shaft extending through thebore and adapted to rotate and move longitudinally relative to theshank, a cam head carried by the shaft for rotation and longitudinalmovement therewith between the nibs, said cam head being adapted toengage the nibs and separate them to regulate the distance between theends thereof remote from said shank, and a handle fixed to the shaftadjacent the end of the shank remote from the nibs for rotating theshaft and moving it longitudinally through the shank.

2. A ruling pen comprising a shank having an axial bore extendingtherethrough, spaced oppositely disposed outwardly bowed resilient nibscarried by and extending longitudinally from said shank; said nibsconverging as they recede from the shank, a shaft extending through thebore and adapted to rotate and move longitudinally relative to theshank, a cam head carried by the shaft for rotation and longitudinalmovement therewith between the nibs, said cam head being adapted toengage the nibs and separate them to regulate the distance between theends thereof remote from said shank, a bearing carried by a nib andfacing the opposite nib, said bearing engaging the shaft adjacent thecam head for holding the shaft in alignment with the bore, and a handlefixed to the shaft adjacent the end of the shank remote from the nibsfor rotating the shaft and moving it longitudinally through the shank.

3. A ruling pen comprising a shank having an axial bore extendingtherethrough, spaced oppositely disposed outwardly bowed resilient nibscarried by and extending longitudinally from said shank, said nibsconverging as they recede from theshank, a shaft extending through thebore and adapted to rotate and move longitudinally relative to theshank, a cam head carried by the shaft for rotation and longitudinalmovement therewith between the nibs, said cam head being adapted toengage the nibs and separate them to regulate the distance between theends thereof remote from said shank, ahandle fixed to the shaft adjacentthe end of the shaft remote from the nibs for rotating the shaft andmoving it longitudinally through the shank, said handle having an indexmark thereon and said shank having longitudinal reference lines thereonregistrabie with said mark so that a predetermined separation of thenibs may be obtained.

ROBERT D. SI-IOMO.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 15,657 Ketcham Sept. 2, 1856 423,684 Heath Mar. 18, 18901,571,565 Wedekind Feb. 2, 1926 2,231,246 Blake Feb. 11, 1941 2,375,188Blake May 8, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 334,682 GermanyMar. 19, 1921

